Health Canada

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Health Canada
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For the Next 10 minutes

• Health Canada role in Aboriginal Health
• ICTs in Aboriginal Health- National Context
• Aboriginal Health Info-structure Priorities
• Challenges
• What is presently underway
• What the future could be

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Health Canadas Mission Statement
To help the people of Canada maintain and
improve their health
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Health Canada-First Nations Inuit Health
Branch (FNIHB)

• FNHIB Goals
• To assist First Nations and Inuit communities to
  improve their health
• To ensure access and availability of quality
  health services.
• To support greater control over health programs
  and services.

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FNIHB

• 1.33 billion 2001- 2002
• 1,414 FTEs
• 529 health facilities (hospitals, nursing
  stations, health centres, drug rehab facilities)
• serving over 600 communities (approx. 700,000
  on-off reserve-Inuit)
• sixth largest health system in Canada

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Health Canada-Office of Health and the
Information Highway (OHIH)

• OHIH coordinates, facilitates and manages health
  infostructure-related activities, with in Health
  Canada and external stakeholders including
  provinces/territories.
• OHIH promotes the development of policy in the
  areas of electronic health record, protection of
  personal health information, telehealth and
  facilitates the sharing of information about
  ICTs in relation to health.

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Health Canada - Office of Rural Health

• Health Canada focal point on Rural Health by
  providing Rural Lens to programs policies
• Health Canada lead on Canadian Rural Partnership
  (CRP) bringing together all federal
  depts/agencies working on Rural issues
• Provide support to Ministerial Advisory Council
  on Rural Health. Four Working Groups include A.
  Aboriginal Health, B. Healthy Communities, C.
  Health Human Resources, and D. Health Information
  Technology

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The Future of Information Communications
Technology (ICT)

•  Health Canada should consider an Aboriginal
  Health Infostructure, strategically
  interconnected to the Canada Health Infoway, as
  an autonomous and distinct institutional
  development consistent with Aboriginal
  interests. 

• Chapter 7 of the Advisory Council on Health
  Infostructure Final Report (1999)

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Draft Common Vision Statement for the Aboriginal
Health Infostructure
The Aboriginal Health Infostructure exists to
support Aboriginal peoples and organizations to
strategically, collaboratively and wholistically
improve overall health status by building
capacity, linkages and access to information,
technology and communications in a manner that is
evolving, responsible and flexible. Aboriginal
Health Infostructure Planning Committee
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Aboriginal Infostructure Priority Areas for
E-health

• A comprehensive health infostructure using modern
  technology to deliver health services to First
  Nations and Inuit peoples

Electronic Health Record
Health Information System
Telehealth
Service Delivery
Information Management
Governance
Surveillance, RHS, Research, Program Evaluation
Informed Decision-Making
Capacity-Building
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E-health A Component of Community Health Care
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Telehealth Is
The tools that can improve your access to
Health Expertise
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Medical Tele-Consultations

• In many specialties
• telecardiology
• teleophthalmology
• teledermatology
• telepsychiatry
• teleradiology
• experts can see and hear things from far away.

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Talking to Specialists At A Distance
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Telehealth An Opportunity for First Nations
Inuit

• Over 1/3 of FNI communities (252) are located
  over 90 km from physician services.
• Potential to reduce the high costs and hardships
  of medical transportation.
• Professional isolation hinders recruitment and
  retention of health care providers.

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First Nations Inuit Health Information System
(FNIHIS)

• A community based health information system to
  support delivery of health services.
• FNIHIS is developed for and by First Nations
  communities
• It will provide timely access to health
  information for improved case management, program
  planning and health assessment.

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Towards a Community EHR

• 1. Capture health information associated with
  care provided in the community
• 2. Access key health information from other
  points of care outside the community

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Challenge 1Integrating with Provincial/Territori
al and First Nations Health Systems

• F/P/T points of negotiation
• Sharing of infrastructure and equipment
• Evaluation/information-sharing procedures
• Privacy and confidentiality
• Liability and licensing
• Impact on existing referral patterns
• Impact on existing public health surveillance
  systems

Building on current infrastructure and linkages
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Challenge 2Securing Infrastructure

• Lack of high-speed telecommunications
• Prohibitive costs
• Partnerships needed to create economies of scale

Finding opportunities to create linkages
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Challenge 3Building Human Capacity

• Some outstanding issues
• Crisis in nursing recruitment and retention.
• ICT impacts on scope of practice, liability and
  time management.
• Some skills and capacity required
• maintenance and operation
• data interpretation for program planning,
  management and evaluation
• change management, how to use the new tools

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Health Canada Present Activities Impacting
Aboriginal Communities

• Share results of the First Nations Telehealth
  Research Project 1998-2001, build awareness
  potential of Telehealth
• Develop Blueprint and Strategic Plan for
  Aboriginal Health Info-structure, including
  Telehealth
• Implement the Alberta First Nations Telehealth
  Project in 20 Communities funded by Federal
  Govt-On-Line
• Continue to deploy the FNIHIS and develop an EHR
  for home care and diabetes programs
• Ministerial Advisory Council on Rural Health-
  Information Technology recommendations
  Aboriginal Health
• Ministerial Advisory Council on Health
  Info-structure- Working with provinces and
  territories on EHR and Telehealth
• Work with partners to implement CHIPP
  Telehealth/EHR projects within Aboriginal
  Communities

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Canada Health Infostructure Program (CHIPP)

• The Canada Health Infostructure Partnership
  Program is a 80 million 50 shared-cost
  contribution program, aimed at supporting the
  implementation of innovative Telehealth/EHR
  applications in health services delivery across
  Canada.

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CHIPP Projects Impacting Aboriginal Communities

• Central BC-Yukon Telemedicine
• MB Telehealth Network
• IIU Network
• Saskatchewan Telehealth
• Yukon Telehealth Network
• NORTH Network Ontario
• Project Outreach-Ontario
• The Alberta First Nations Project to Screen for
  Limbs, I-Sight, Cardiovascular and Kidney (SLICK)

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Canadian Health Network

• A web-based site providing reliable health
  information to all Canadians
• Links to a broad network of Government and NGO
  sites
• Trusted information on a variety of health
  promotion and disease prevention topics from
  healthy eating to heart health
• Expanding to include more information of
  relevance to different populationsincluding
  Aboriginal People

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The Future Connected Community Aboriginal
Nursing/Health Facility
Local Area Networks and the FNIHIS EHR